Ads are not an endorsement by the blog author.

Joy's Journal

Public Journal
My journal includes helpful house hints, links, publication news, & seasonal storm coverage. Archives | Subscribe to Alerts Alerts Subscribe to Alerts | Feeds
 
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth

I just learned from Michael Flynn's blog that Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth (his novelette that I had a small walk-on role in) has been nominated for the Seiun Award.  (Translated by Kazuko Onoda, Hayakawa S-F Magazine 2007/7)

Link: Science Fiction Awards Watch » Blog Archive » Seiun Nominees



pagadan at 12:20:26 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Solar water heaters (link)

"Hawaii is first to mandate solar.

The last state to join the Union, (did you know Hawaii wasn't a star on the flag until 1959?) is the first to mandate solar water heaters on all new construction, and sends a strong message to the land-locked rest of us to catch-up or miss the big wave. The law goes into effect in 2010, giving builders, buyers, and designers plenty of time to coordinate the fine details."

Link: Andrew & Stacy: The Green Team -- Surf's up! Hawaii is first to mandate solar.  (HGTVPro.com)



pagadan at 9:31:53 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Home ideas

I came across a nifty idea for your front porch in Lowe's Creative Ideas (May/June 2008 issue).  If you have seating on your porch, paint your house number on a cushion(s), and you can paint Welcome on a cushion too. 
 
Old House Journal (June 2008) has an interesting article on the now historical ranch style homes.  This includes the atomic ranch, "a mid-century style characterized by modernist details, walls of glass and an open floor plan."  There are also articles on shingle styles, stucco, clay roof tiles, and Humrich homes.  (Homes designed by architect Edward Humrich.)
 
In House & Garden (February 2007/Renovation issue), I learned that cork is now being used in upholstery.  It's supple, yet durable.  And I loved the bathtub made from a wine vat bought in Paris; you do need a stool to get into it.  That whole bathroom is rustic, btw, including a chair made from a big piece of tree trunk.  And there was a fun article about a porcelain collector who commissioned a 144-piece porcelain dinner set that is decorated with hand-painted portraits of hippos from zoos around the world.  What a great variety of hippo images!


pagadan at 8:25:51 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Friday, May 9, 2008

Publication news

Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook is still on this Barnes & Noble top ten list: Barnes & Noble.com Books - Architecture, Domestic->Amateurs' manuals

There's an excerpt available at: Free Book Excerpts : Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook by Joy Smith

There's also an excerpt available for my children's picture book, Why Won't Anyone Play with Me? : Free Book Excerpts : Why Won’t Anyone Play with Me? by Joy Smith

Sugar Time, my audiobook with three time travel tales, is available from: Hadrosaur Audio Odysseys

And here's a link to one of my online stories: The Trees of Home ; I love the artwork with this story!  

For more of my stories, see my short story collection, Aliens, Animals, and Adventure, in the Anthology Builder library at: AnthologyBuilder: create your ideal anthology


Tags: , , , ,



pagadan at 12:15:17 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Architecture of the imagination

"Edwin and Lucy's cottage consisted of two rooms downstairs, which had partly been knocked into one, with a modern bathroom tacked on at the back.  The stairs, which were hidden behind a latched door, led up to three rooms where one had to inch around the beds , bending one's head so as not to knock it on the eaves.  Laura Ashley wallpaper everywhere covered uneven old plaster, and rag rugs provided warmth underfoot.  Lucy's books were stacked in columns along one wall in the sitting room, having overflowed the bookcases, and in the kitchen there were wooden bowls, pestles and mortar, dried herbs hanging.
 
Lucy's home was unselfconscious, not folksy."
 
From Hot Money by Dick Francis


pagadan at 10:35:55 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Small green homes (link)

 

"In mid-October, I attended an annual conference put on by the Energy & Environmental Building Association (EEBA). It was a fun event with a spectacular mix of great folks: ...

The keynote speaker was particularly interesting: Sarah Susanka, architect and author of the Not So Big House series ...

Another fascinating presentation was one on ultra-low energy, green homes being built by two builders following the Passive House standards.  ... "

Link: Eric Helton: Building Science -- Smaller, Low-Energy Green Homes  (HGTVPro.com)



pagadan at 1:39:55 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

New Ruralism

I read about the "New Ruralism" in the Spring 2008 issue of New Old House recently.  It's "a way of creating new communities located in rural areas to help preserve this country's agrarian history while offering homeowners smalltown living adjacent to farms, wildlife habitat, and open space."  See the article on page 10.  New Urbanism is still alive; see the article on Little Rabbit (page 60). 
 
There're also articles on salvaged flooring, past craftsmen's techniques, beautiful and interesting new old homes, and gardening
 
They're making faux terrazo, I learned, in a piece on green flooring in this issue; and in a catalog I saw faux stainless steel, which comes on rolls of self-adhesive PVC vinyl. 


pagadan at 1:26:32 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Ranking green buildings (link)

Ranking the Top 10 green buildings
(from The Green Team) The American Institute of Architects ranks green projects each year, and the 2008 group takes green to a new level....

"But, for homebuyers, or homebuilders, looking to go beyond EnergyStar appliances and extra insulation, AIA/COTE have come up with some wonderful approaches to get the imagination, and the design team, working on green.  ...

Top Ten Measure 4: Bioclimatic Design
Sustainable design conserves resources and maximizes comfort through design adaptations to site-specific and regional climate conditions. Building design should respond to local climate, sun path, prevailing breezes, and seasonal and daily cycles through passive design strategies.

By far one of my favorite common sense approaches to green building. This wisdom which served our species well for thousands of years was discarded with the invention of climate controlling appliances. It boils down to taking the time to understand the local weather patterns and then working with Mother Nature to create a more energy efficient and comfortable house. Site placement, natural shading, and simple venting can all be employed to reduce the energy load of a house year around."

Link: Andrew & Stacy: The Green Team -- How AIA/COTE Measure the Top 10 Green Buildings  (HGTVPro.com)

#4 is something you don't see every day!  In my book, Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook, I quote Dwight Holmes, an award-winning architect, who said, " I am intrigued by the way that older homes in Florida responded to the environment while the later ones seem to show no awareness of it at all."

 



pagadan at 12:17:18 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Organization

I came across this website today in an e-newsletter: http://OnlineOrganizing.com  

Organization is challenging for many people, and this website offers help, newsletters, blogs, and products.

 



pagadan at 7:02:54 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Monday, April 28, 2008

Home products and decorating ideas

I came across an Elmira Stove Works ad in the May 2008 issue of Country Home.  I love that green fridge!  I see they make ranges, microwaves, and dishwashers too. 
 
A "green" suggestion from a Wal-Mart ad: Buy "transitional" cotton clothing to encourage farmers to switch to organic farming.  "Transitional" cotton is grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers.  [I wonder why they call it transitional.]  Learn more about Earth-friendly products at walmart.com/green.
 
And here's a recycling idea: Katie Brown's kitchen island's cast iron sink is a salvaged baby's bathtub.  There are a number of other recycling ideas and articles in this issue.  And articles on gardens and bouquets in vintage vases and dishes.  Beautiful!  And the bird houses along the picket fence are eye-catching.  [I don't think you can do this along a sidewalk though.]
 
Here's a tip: Seal your grout with a silicone sealer as soon as the grout has cured.  I'm sorry we didn't do that.  Now we're looking for a linen or biscuit-colored grout paint.  All we've found is white. 


pagadan at 9:03:50 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry
This entry has 0 comments: Add your own